The Dash Diet Guidelines: Easy 7 Day Sample Menu Included

The number of people with high blood pressure has doubled in the last 40 years — a serious health concern, as high blood pressure is linked to a higher risk of conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.

As diet is thought to play a major role in the development of high blood pressure, scientists and policymakers have engineered specific dietary strategies to help reduce it.

This article examines the DASH diet, which was designed to combat high blood pressure and reduce people’s risk of heart disease.

What Is the DASH Diet?

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, is a diet recommended for people who want to prevent or treat hypertension — also known as high blood pressure — and reduce their risk of heart disease.

Candy and Added Sugars: 5 or Fewer Servings per Week

Added sugars are kept to a minimum on the DASH diet, so limit your intake of candy, soda and table sugar. The DASH diet also restricts unrefined sugars and alternative sugar sources, like agave nectar.

Examples of a serving include:

1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) of sugar

1 tablespoon (20 grams) of jelly or jam

1 cup (240 ml) of lemonade

Summary
The DASH diet does not list specific foods to eat. Instead, it’s a dietary pattern focused on servings of food groups.

Sample Menu for One Week

Here’s an example of a one-week meal plan — based on 2,000 calories per day — for the regular DASH diet: